guys guys, you are moving away from topic. the article in the new zealand herald paper was about success of the small business. small kite gear business with different business model. and not about how good or bad their kites are. we can see that even cheaper kites are still profitable.

and why so much noise about "limited performance"?
"limited performance" does not necessary means "crappy performance".

i tried it, i didn't like it. i found brand that suits me and conditions where i ride much better.
but the switch should be more honest about their product since their business model does not include local reps with the testing possibility.
if switch would write in the descriptions of the for example Nitro that this kite was designed for liter riders + flat water conditions + slow turning + heavy bar + according to pro riders taste i wouldn't waste my money.
but no:

Is This One For You?
Like winning races, trying unhooked moves, going big or mowing the lawn? All-rounders who still love to feel the power, read on.
Balance Speed
Speed is nothing without control. Unless you enjoy getting a face full of tree. A 16m2 must be as fast as possible and an 8m2 should still allow you to pass the bar.
Power Turns
Gutless toy kites can eat shit. Power delivery in the turns is critical and will make you a better rider waaay faster. The Nitro is a tuned-down Combat, where turning radius is slightly tighter – increasing your chances of surviving mega loops.
Auto Unhook
All our kites love to fly unhooked without touching the depower strap.
Direct Feel
No spongy feedback on bar input. You’ll know where the kite is at all times – even if you get burnt.
Silky Power Control
Delivering more power than a chipped Veyron, all controlled within arm’s length. Pure exhilaration.
Built-In Bungee
Outstanding upwind performance leaves our competitors slack-jawed and dribbling.
The Rock
Rock solid, stable and brilliant for unhooked moves.
The Rocket Launcher
Keep your eyes peeled for dangerous space junk in orbit. You’ll be right amongst it.
Skill Level
Nitro is a high- performance piece of engineering. Could be a challenge for the novice. But if you know how to stay upwind, this power tool will quickly take you to the next level avoiding those brown-trouser moments.

I dont know why people are saying Switch kites have poor performance. They are probably just people who have a vested interested in the manufacturer-distributer-retailer business model. I owned a Switch Element for a year and its performance was on par with all round kites from the large manufacturers. Excellent upwind performance, Excellent Relaunch, Excellent Drft for wave riding, Excellent Unhooked. Build Quality is also excellent. Only weakness for me was the lift when jumping (which is why I changed kites since this is of primary importance to me). This might have been changed in the Element 2. Also the safety was oriented towards riders doing unhooked, again this has been changed with the new bar having multiple safety options depending on the rider. Kite design these days is about trade offs, not about one kite being better than another in all aspects.

it's a bit like when epoxy surfboards hit the market 10 years ago, the existing people that make money (shapers) try and influence the mainstream against it. But it is much harder to achieve this with so many online today. Many of those very shapers have labels on chinese/thai epoxy boards today. It's the changing way the world works and it it very hard to stop. I posted a link to this article on my facebook and immediately got posts against it. One from someone involved in another brand, one from a shop, one from a longtime kiter that didn't like some aspects of the tone of the article. Defending their living and feeling threatened i would guess. I got some combats, still riding them after a year.

UKSurf wrote: Kite design these days is about trade offs, not about one kite being better than another in all aspects.

Fair play. Thats probably closest to the truth.

longwhitecloud wrote:. One from someone involved in another brand, one from a shop, one from a longtime kiter that didn't like some aspects of the tone of the article. Defending their living and feeling threatened i would guess. I got some combats, still riding them after a year.

The business model is very aggressive and challenges current norms so I guess you will get emotional people being threatened by it.

It will be interesting to see how the brand progresses considering they have come this far in such a short time.

I run a shop but i am certainly not threatened by it. We have seen it before, we will see it again. The reality is that this tactic will change as Switch grows. Sure it works well now but sales are relatively small. What other brands in any industry are successful with global single point distribution?

And you shouldn't be. If the service you offer justifies the mark-up you put on the products you sell then your business should do just fine. However, this also applies to the people upstream in the supply chain - if the other people profiting off the product you sell are not adding value sufficient to justify their cut, then this may well impact your business...